About Keren Shutafut
Since its inception, the Shutafut Fund has supported dozens of initiatives working to promote shared living in Israel. The vision of the Shutafut Fund is to work together and alongside one another, while preserving the uniqueness of each community, in order to strengthen grassroots efforts, expand cross-community impact, and deepen processes that build resilience, hope, and shared living in the State of Israel.
Photography credit: Oz Shechter
Leny Milo,
Director of "Keren Shutafut"
Keren Shutafut in Numbers
173
Grants
131
Organizations in the Network
of Initiatives
7
Cohorts
7
Years of Activity
10
Partner Foundations
The Partner Foundations
About the Fund
Israeli society is composed of a mosaic of diverse groups, identities, and sectors. Most communities live separately from one another, educate their children in separate systems, consume sector-specific media, and engage with different cultural spheres. This reality is often perceived as a root of instability and a source of divisions between the different parts of Israeli society. In the absence of meaningful contact and deeper familiarity, members of other communities may be perceived as threatening to the very identity of those who are different from them.
Sociological theories offer various paradigms for overcoming these challenges, such as adopting values of pluralism and inclusion, fostering intergroup interaction, and working to reduce disparities. However, due to Israel’s unique context, a multidimensional approach is required to create an inclusive social climate that promotes meaningful shared life and overcomes these barriers. Given the differences between communities across many aspects of life including education, culture, and religion, each community may feel that its identity is threatened by others, or may itself be perceived as threatening the identities of other groups. The multicultural paradigm in Israel, with its distinctive characteristics, presents an opportunity to explore innovative models for building an integrated society and to deepen the understanding of existing theories regarding the creation of shared life in the face of these inherent challenges.
All communities in Israeli society have a stake in the shared public space. Therefore, the joint construction of this space must be advanced through practical solutions developed by the diverse groups that comprise it, while preserving the unique identity of each community. For these reasons, the Shutafut (Partnership) Fund was established in 2019, bringing together philanthropic foundations whose goal is to encourage partnerships and strengthen solidarity among different groups and communities in Israel.
The conceptual foundation of the Shutafut Fund is that shared life is not only an important necessity, but also an attainable goal. Accordingly, its activities are dedicated to bridging divides and fostering closer relations among diverse groups within Israeli society, while emphasizing the promotion of principles of justice and equality, respect for others, and the recognition of diversity as a fundamental and valuable asset.
Our Primary Goals
To encourage the creation of partnerships and strengthen solidarity among the different groups and communities within the population, while promoting perceptions of justice and equality, respect for others, and recognition of diversity as an important asset. This is pursued through diverse, in-depth processes including encounter, deep familiarity, and joint action within the shared civic space.
In addition, the Fund focuses on supporting new initiatives in this field by facilitating connections between initiatives and assisting grassroots efforts, that is, initiatives that grow from the ground up while also strengthening democratic values and contributing to the development of the ecosystem of shared life in Israel.
Familiarity with and support for grassroots initiatives that emerge from the field are carried out through
Call for Proposals
The call for proposals is intended for new initiatives and programs that promote the common good in Israeli society and foster connections between communities, based on the view of diversity as a source of richness and culture as an asset, alongside respect and equality. The call is published each year in April, immediately after the Passover holiday.
Support Package
Keren Shutfut's support package for selected initiatives
3 types of grants:
Full Grant
Selected initiatives, following approval by the Foundations Committee, receive a financial grant of up to 60,000 NIS.
Encouragement Grant
Selected initiatives at the beginning of their social activity receive a financial grant of 20,000 NIS.
Continuation Grant
Initiatives that previously received a Shutafut Fund grant and have demonstrated success and expanded their impact may receive an additional grant of 35,000 NIS, up to two more times, consecutively or non-consecutively.
The grants are disbursed in 2 installments -
the 2nd installment is conditional upon submission of an interim report and the successful implementation of the action plan.
Financial Grant
Annual Community Gathering
Each year, all Shutafut Fund initiatives along with their managers, teams, partners, and representatives of the partner foundations, gather for a community event that includes dialogue sessions, workshops, and both professional and interpersonal spaces for building relationships and connections.
Workshops for Enrichment and Development
The Fund’s network of initiatives benefits from enrichment workshops held twice a year, led by professional facilitators in a range of fields, including resource development workshops, social marketing workshops, content marketing workshops, and more. These workshops are intended for professional development, as well as for building connections and networking among the initiatives in the Fund.
Each initiative receives, as needed and following coordination and a working meeting, up to 5 hours of consultation on a variety of topics such as resource development, strategy development, storytelling, and budget management. The consultations are provided by carefully selected expert advisors, and initiatives are able to choose the advisors that best fit their needs.
Professional Consulting and Mentoring Package
One of the Fund’s goals is to encourage familiarity and working relationships among the different initiatives. Through shared platforms, valuable collaborations and partnerships are created that generate positive impact and, in some cases, help initiatives grow from the local level to the national level.
Connections and Collaborations
Facebook Page
A page presenting the outcomes of the initiatives supported by the Fund and showcasing the wide range of activities designed to promote shared life.
Community WhatsApp Group
A group that encourages ongoing communication and updates among the ShutafutFund’s network of initiatives.
An animated map presenting the diverse initiatives supported by the Shutafut Fund across the country. These initiatives promote the values of shared life among the different groups that make up Israeli society. Exploring the map reveals the geographic, social, and sectoral diversity of the initiatives and the many possibilities for strengthening tolerance and equality in the country. The map is updated with each cohort and appears in two languages, Hebrew and English. It also includes information about the supported initiatives and links to their websites.
The Shutafut Fund Initiatives Map
Assessment of the Initiatives Supported by the ShutafutFund
After 5 years of supporting various social initiatives, we sought to conduct an in-depth research review.
Published in May 2025 conducted by Adi Rosenstock
Objectives of the Research Review
Research Review
- To obtain a broad overview that enables an assessment of the status of initiatives supported by the Shutafut Fund, the scope of their activities, the main challenges they face, their achievements, and the changes the initiatives have undergone over the years.
- To identify broader trends in the field of promoting shared life and to understand which types of support have proven effective.
- To formulate practical insights that will help the Fund continue to accompany and support current and future initiatives in the most effective way possible.
Key Findings
*
Many of the initiatives that began with the Fund’s support have succeeded in expanding, influencing diverse communities, and establishing sustained activity promoting shared life in Israel. 60% of the initiatives expanded their activities, and 76% continued operating in the field of shared life over the years.
*
The initiatives emphasized that participation in the Fund’s events and in the community of initiatives strengthened their connections and led to successful collaborations that amplified their work.
*
Initiatives reported that the Fund provided not only financial support but also professional guidance, strategic connections, and opportunities to leverage their activities in areas such as intersectoral dialogue, empowerment of marginalized communities, strengthening relationships between Jews and Arabs, and reducing social tensions.
*
Some initiatives even developed into independent nonprofit organizations, succeeded in establishing economic models, and became influential actors in Israel’s social sector.
40%
remained unchanged
-
60%
expanded
-
The Current Status of the Supported Initiatives
After 6 years of activity, 97 initiatives remain active (85%).
The scope of activity of many initiatives has expanded, and initiative leaders describe several types of developments:
The initiative’s activity continued for a longer period than originally planned.
Additional circles were opened and connections were formed with new groups.
Initiatives partnered with additional organizations, created collaborations, and significantly expanded the scale of their activities.
Impact on Promoting Shared Life in Israel
One of the key aspects in evaluating the success of the initiatives is the way in which they contribute to promoting shared life in Israel.
Initiative leaders referred to the areas in which they believe their initiatives have the greatest impact:
Improving cooperation between groups
Creating connections between populations
Changing attitudes
and stereotypes
Influencing public policy
Empowering marginalized
communities
“All of our measurements show a very deep change in perceptions among students and participants. We are very proud of the results and are repeatedly surprised by how language learning, when done correctly, can create very deep processes affecting perceptions, social relationships, and the human spirit.”
“Due to the political and organizational changes [within the initiative], the fact that the program still exists and serves both communities is something of a miracle.”
